Post-Game Talk: [GM23] Canucks defeat Ducks | 3-1 (Boeserx2 & Pettersson) | Damn It, Myers

[CherryToke]

Also don't like 9-40 being PK1. Rather have them later in the PK, and only one PK shift per 2 minutes. I'd prefer to see Blueger, Lafferty, Joshua and PDG do the heavy lifting 4v5.

100%. They should only be used for opportunistic reasons.

 

[WTG]

If you guys wanna have a laugh, someone said Bouchard is gunna end up with more pts then Hughes on the main board Kuch art ross thread.

That guy just really hates the Canucks. His posts are really funny.

I think that Bouchard can go PPG this year though. But he’s doing on the back of McDavid.

 

[Aphid Attraction]

100%. They should only be used for opportunistic reasons.

Is it a face off thing?

 

[Vector]

I want to see Bains if Mikheyev is out

Unfortunately Bains is also hurt and there’s no info on what’s wrong or when he’ll return.

 

[Regal]

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Here's the thing with Myers, why not try like literally anyone else? Didn't they recall McWard? Give him a f***ing shot. Like just wake Myers up by giving him some competition, maybe he'll play better. Same goes for Juulsen.

Or play Friedman more than either of these guys. It's not like there aren't options, they just refuse to try them no matter how many times they f*** up.

Also, we've seen Myers play his best when he's down around 15 minutes, but now he's playing 20-ish a night.

Finally, I will never understand this absolute obsession with RH/LH defence. I remember back when the Flyers made the finals in 2010 and they had like one right-handed defenceman on the entire team. Of course it's not ideal but when you have two boat anchors back there basically scuttling their pairs why not think outside the box?

Myers must be the nicest guy in the world or something because we've had four separate coaches play him well above what he's capable of. And despite him constantly failing to rise at the opportunities, they keep doing it.

Now you could argue Bruce was somewhat desperate with how horrendous our D core was last season but still.

I just don't get why he keeps getting relied upon as a minute muncher when he's actually good in a reduced role.

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Pretty sure I have a better shot than Garland.

Hoglander is such an entertaining player.

 

[kanucks25]

Myers must be the nicest guy in the world or something because we've had four separate coaches play him well above what he's capable of. And despite him constantly failing to rise at the opportunities, they keep doing it.

Now you could argue Bruce was somewhat desperate with how horrendous our D core was last season but still.

I just don't get why he keeps getting relied upon as a minute muncher when he's actually good in a reduced role.

Seemingly every coach has that veteran fallacy.

Young guy / depth player messes up? See, can't trust him.

Veteran messes up? Yeah well he has a track record and we play him a lot so he's gonna make a mistake here or there and I can't take away his minutes because then I might lose him and then we're really screwed.

And then with Myers in particular you add in the size fetish... we're lucky they don't play him 30 mins a game.

 

[alternate]

Thing is, Myers is the best option for the minutes he plays. I mean who should be getting them instead?

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Im all for some good ol fashion Myers bashing, but blaming him for below the waist clappers towards the net ain't it. Happens every shift and forwards need to pay attention and react accordingly.

 

[Regal]

Thing is, Myers is the best option for the minutes he plays. I mean who should be getting them instead?

Yea I imagine there’d be even more criticisms if we were watching any of the other depth guys getting those minutes.

 

[F A N]

Wait. Some are blaming Myers for trying to take a slap shot on net that isn’t say shot at someone’s head?

 

[HairyKneel]

Kuz's absence sure made us button it up against the Sharks!!!! /sarcasm

Again, Kuz isn't that bad and didn't deserve to be benched for two straight. Thank god we got rid of Beauvillier, because he was taking a roster spot from ... well literally everybody except him. Beau didn't deserve the opportunities he got, and the leash he was afforded.

Kuz was back in. You need to get over it.

I'm fully confident some team will take him at 3 mil prorated at the deadline for free. Knowing this FO, they'll probably get a mid round pick for him.

Keep us in the loop

 

[Bobby9]

Still a lot of concerns about the team even though they got a W.

Need to secure a top 4 D and it can't be Bear if we want to be a top tier team. Need Soucy back badly as well.

Need to add some grit up front to the top 6 forwards. Laff, Joshua and Hog add enough to the bottom 6.

I see us playing .500 hockey until we get a decent time to rest. Played a lot of games in a short period.

 

[Soups On]

Im all for some good ol fashion Myers bashing, but blaming him for below the waist clappers towards the net ain't it. Happens every shift and forwards need to pay attention and react accordingly.

Yep. He had a couple gaffes, especially in the offensive zone when he was beautifully set up for a nice shot, but the Mikheyev injury really isn't on him. That puck looked like it was heading straight into the net.


I've ripped on Myers for years for reasons well deserved but if his minutes are reduced and he's on the 3rd pairing, that's a very good thing for the team. If Allvin can get a serviceable #4 RHD that can take away some of Myers' minutes, the team is then shaping up pretty nicely with Soucy back in a couple months.

 

[ForecheckBackcheck]

Agreed with the above.

Myers is on pace for 39 points and is a +11. He has been very serviceable this year in bottom pairing minutes. It is not his fault he is overpaid by ~3M thanks to Jimbo. The Myers hate really should stop. He is still a valuable contributor on our blueline, we just need another RHD to displace him from the Top 4.

 

[Hodgy]

I wish Pettersson wouldn’t hit. He’s small, and the risks of injury far outweigh the benefits.

 

[The Optimist]

I wish Pettersson wouldn’t hit. He’s small, and the risks of injury far outweigh the benefits.

Like when Hamhuis hipchecked Lucic. Just wasn't worth it.

As for the game, the Ducks seemed to hit a ton of posts. If one of those goes in it's a completely different game. Great third period from the team, especially once they got the lead, but far far from a perfect game.

It is interesting how other top teams are struggling of late though. Knights are 3-4-3 having now lost 3 in a row. Canucks are 5-5. Bruins have lost the last 3.

 

[thecupismine]

Ok first, ugly second, great third period.

Petey has been struggling at 5 on 5, so good to see him with a bounce back there. Hopefully Mikyahev isn't out too long, as he's the lynchpin to that line working when Petey is on his game.

Thought Kuzmenko looked a bit better out there, but unless Petey gets back his zone entry form from last year the line is still going to be up and down at 5 on 5. Kuzmenko is very much an amplifier to that line - if they have the puck in the O-Zone, he's going to make sure they convert. However, he's only ok at zone entries and is not a great forechecker or defener, which is why Tocchet has been frustrated with him. Reminds me a lot of what Alex Tanguay used to be like.

Great performance from Demko and Hughes. Not enough can be said about their performances this year, just such a treat to watch each night. The way Hughes uses his feet to create space on the blueline is going to be the subject of a ton of scouting, as I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it in hockey. Guy is like Allen Iverson in his prime breaking peoples ankles.

At some point, the team is going to need to get blueline help though. Myers is great when we can keep his minutes down, but even the one injury to Soucy throws things out of whack & you can see it in everyone making uncharasteristic mistakes.

Having your bottom pairing guy play 9 and 13 minutes isn't sustainable, and this wasn't against a great team either. Hronek might need to be taken off the first PP unit, even if its just to keep his minutes a more manageable spot. I don't think the difference between him and Kuz is enough to warrant him playing an extra 2+ minutes a night (even if they're "easy" minutes) when he's already in the 24+ range.

 

[Zippgunn]

The Myers hate amuses me; guy had an assist and was a +2 but he's still Satan because...

 

[StreetHawk]

Right now, I give the team 2 more games vs LV and then their quick trip to Cal before I start getting on them for how they are playing. Been a tough schedule with a lot of games and no long homestand. Have had a couple of short home stands that were interrupted with a trip to Cal/SJ in there as well.
December looks more like a regular schedule, after the Cal game which follows this short 2 game home stand. Get 5 straight at home with days off to rest/practice. Then a regular 4 game road trip with no wasted miles. That SJ home game before Xmas break is a potential trap game.

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

I honestly don't mind Juulsen or Myers lately...

I honestly don't mind Juulsen or Myers lately...

They're playing too much maybe but all things considered they have done their best with increased roles.

 

[bossram]

100%. They should only be used for opportunistic reasons.

Is it a face off thing?

I guess they keep putting Miller out there on PK1 for faceoff duty? He's really quite bad at PKing and they should reduce his minutes there. You have Teddy Blueger. That's his job.

Still a lot of concerns about the team even though they got a W.

Need to secure a top 4 D and it can't be Bear if we want to be a top tier team. Need Soucy back badly as well.

Need to add some grit up front to the top 6 forwards. Laff, Joshua and Hog add enough to the bottom 6.

I see us playing .500 hockey until we get a decent time to rest. Played a lot of games in a short period.

Yeah, they got the W but really a rather underwhelming showing. At least they did demonstrate they can crank up their level of play when they want to, in the third.

I imagine a defenseman is coming soon after the Beauvillier trade. Up front, I think they really need more 5v5 offense. Another legit forward. They don't generate enough 5v5.

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

How have the Canucks played 6 more games than some teams?

 

[VanJack]

As a team, the Canucks have to expend so much energy to win games. And if for some reason it isn't there--like it was for two periods last night--then they're often on the ropes.

But perhaps the most brutal part of their schedule is now behind them--and they've got an extended bout of home cooking. Looking for a lot more energy in Thursday's game against the Knights.